[Magdalen] Roman Basilicas.

[Simon Kershaw]

And there was me thinking that we Anglicans had been doing this since 
the Reformation, along with other protestant groups.

Cranmer introduced this in the 1552 Book of Common Prayer, with the 
communion table placed lengthwise in the chancel (aligned east-west), 
the priest on the north side and the people gathered around on the east, 
south and west.

The Laudian reaction returned the communion tables to the east end of 
the chancel, leaving the priest standing at the north end of the table. 
Fortunately the idea that we all gather around the altar-table together 
has been recovered in more recent times.

Bosco Peters has a good (and short!) post on this "Omnium 
circumstantium" -- a much better term, and better concept, than the 
rather adversarial "versus populum" tag:
    https://liturgy.co.nz/omnium-circumstantium

simon

On 2019-09-03 18:29, cantor03--- via Magdalen wrote:
> I note a news item from today that the Pope visitedanother Marian
> church/shrine to petition for herprotection during his forthcoming
> trip to Mozambique.
> 
> This time, that Marian location was none other than
> Santa Maria Maggiore  (Saint Mary Major).
> 
> 
> The high altar of Saint Mary's is freestanding in the westend of the
> building, as are most Roman Basilicas.This means when a celebrant is
> facing the congregationin the nave, he is actually facing east (ad
> orientem).
> Until Vatican-2, worship was always to the (liturgical)east;
> 
> 
> T\his misunderstanding of the layout of these oldRoman churches
> produced at least in part, that mania for versus populum following
> Vatican-2. 
> 
> Too late for correction.  The cat is out of the bag on this one.I'm
> just a broken record in this matter.

-- 
Simon Kershaw
simon at kershaw.org.uk
St Ives, Cambridgeshire